Like angels in
their lack of free will
hovering above us
purely as agents
Think of Michael Collins
14 orbits around the moon
but never getting closer
than 9 miles to its surface
Command module
for Buzz and Neil
trudging their Seas of Tranquility
and Glory
While alone above their heads
he circled like a film noir taxi
keeping the motor running
for the getaway
But 47 minutes
of each two hour orbit
found him beyond all contact
in truly cosmic solitude
The far side of the moon
with no Earth to look back on
a universe to look out on
all to himself
from Diamond Plate, 2012, Obsolete Press
